Member-only story
Whatever Works — Works
There are no rules. Not really.
In education, they always say what works and what doesn’t. They always tell you the rules. As if there are any.
In real life, it’s really simple: whatever works — works.
If getting a writing inspiration requires you to jump 34 times and do 23 push-ups, then meditate for 10 minutes, and draw a cat on somebody else’s napkin, then do that.
If starting a business for you means not needing anybody’s permission — and you clearly see what will be in demand in the market — then go for it. Fuck focus groups. Fuck surveys. Fuck MBAs. (That was, in fact, the Steve Jobs way.)
If to shoot a movie you absolutely need to start with casting — not writing the script, as would be the obvious choice—so be it. Make it an unorthodox process: build each character around the actor.
The common trap is to look for “what works.”
To look for rules, guidebooks, blueprints. You see evidence of this simply by looking at articles that go, “7 Steps To….[build a business, write a book, have a baby]”. We (falsely) assume that by retracing other, more successful people’s steps, we can find a shortcut.
But more important than figuring out how somebody else did X is to try doing X and see what happens.
First, nothing will. You’ll suck.
And then, as you keep iterating, you’ll start noticing patterns.
And soon enough, you’ll figure out what works. For you.
There are no rules. Not really.
More important than figuring out what “works” is figuring out what works for you.
Because whatever works — works.
